<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>This is Calm by Supernaturalfragilisticexpialidocious</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29579985">This is Calm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supernaturalfragilisticexpialidocious/pseuds/Supernaturalfragilisticexpialidocious'>Supernaturalfragilisticexpialidocious</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds, Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aaron Hotchner Acting as Spencer Reid's Parental Figure, Agent As Unsub, Jack Hotchner as Unsub, Jack and Spencer team, Spencer Reid Leaves The BAU, Spencer Reid as Unsub</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:49:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,421</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29579985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supernaturalfragilisticexpialidocious/pseuds/Supernaturalfragilisticexpialidocious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What would've happened if Agent Aaron Hotchner had fired Doctor Spencer Reid.<br/>Well, he would've never guessed that it would land with the beloved genius going off the map for nearly a decade and turning up to face the team as the world's perfect unsub. </p><p>Is Agent Hotchner strong enough to watch the man he had once called a son become the most villainous unsub the BAU has ever faced, and will the fact that the boy's partner is his own flesh and blood break him entirely?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aaron Hotchner &amp; Jack Hotchner, Aaron Hotchner &amp; Jack Hotchner &amp; Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner &amp; Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner/Haley Hotchner, Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid, Jack Hotchner &amp; Spencer Reid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I was his son too</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I hope you enjoy this. If this gets 25 kudos I will add another chapter, I just want to know that it's not going to flop before I put in lots of hard work and time into writing this. Stay safe and hydrated my loves &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Spencer took his time in reaching out to Jack Hotchner. Is teenage spite enough to turn a kid against their parent. Maybe, if you're a genius.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! I hope you enjoy. Remember to eat and drink today!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Doctor Spencer Reid could blame his actions on many different traumas in his life. Being bullied in high school, college, even in his own professional work environment. He could pin everything on his mom, his dad, even himself if he wanted to. But no matter what excuses he could come up with there was one thing that was impeccably true. He wasn’t schizophrenia, he wasn’t insane, he wasn’t a psychopath or sociopath or anything in between. </p><p>He was just a boy with a lot of anger, a lot of trauma, and a brain big enough to swallow the world up in. </p><p>He never thought he would snap, not really anyway. There was always a little part of him that thought he could, but it was just a fantasy, a fleeting thought.</p><p>Until it<em> wasn’t</em> anymore.</p><p>Until Aaron Hotchner got in his face and threatened his job, his title, and their relationship. That’s when the switch went off. </p><p>He can still hear himself saying, ”Fuck you Hotch-”. The clear memory of standing up and slamming his badge and gun on the man’s desk, with force enough to chip the wood underneath. Walking out quickly as the Unit Chief followed after him in an attempt to stop Spencer from leaving.</p><p>But he did leave. He left with an armful of desk trinkets, tears in his eyes, and a vendetta against the entirety of the BAU.<br/>___</p><p>___</p><p>It took seven years for Spencer to put his plan into action. His goal was to ruin Aaron Hotchner's life, and he would use any means necessary, including the man's biological son.</p><p>Right after Jack Hotchner became a high school freshman, that’s when Reid got in contact with him. It all started with an innocent computer chat. </p><p>
  <em>..&lt;IM MESSAGES&gt;..</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">December 5th 4:15 pm EST</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>{{..DRSpencer.. Has joined the chat}}</em>
</p><p><em><strong>..DRSpencer..</strong></em><br/><em> </em>   hello.</p><p>
  <em>{{..JHotchsk8.. Has joined the chat}}</em>
</p><p><em><strong>..JHotchsk8..</strong></em><br/>                       Hey!</p><p> </p><p><strong><em>..DRSpencer..</em></strong><br/>                      hi Jack, how are you? :)</p><p> </p><p><em><strong>..JHotchsk8..</strong></em><br/>                      I’m okay! Your name sounds familiar, do I know you?</p><p> </p><p><em><strong>..DRSpencer..</strong></em><br/>                     Yeah, I used to work with your dad but I moved away awhile ago.</p><p> </p><p><em><strong>..JHotchsk8..</strong></em><br/>                     My dad? Great, so you’re one of the assholes at the BAU.</p><p>___</p><p>It wasn’t almost too perfect. A genius whose heart was broken by someone he looked up to as a father, and a smart and impressionably hormonal teenager who hated his dad for always being in his business and profiling him. It was the scariest duo imaginable.</p><p>___</p><p><strong><em>..DRSpencer..</em></strong><br/>                    No actually, I’m a teacher, I wasn’t cut out to be a profiler. I said I worked with your dad, not that I was his friend. </p><p> </p><p><strong><em>..JHotchsk8..</em></strong><br/>                    You didn’t like my dad? Everyone likes my dad.</p><p> </p><p><strong><em>..DRSpencer..</em></strong><br/>                     do you? </p><p><br/><strong><em>..JHotchsk8..</em></strong><br/><strong> </strong> no.</p><p>
  <em>{{ ..JHotchsk8.. Has left the chat.}}</em>
</p><p>___</p><p><br/>It evolved from there, the texts became a daily occurrence, and not once did Agent Aaron Hotchner notice that his son was texting an unhinged genius in a sketchy instant messaging chat room. Spencer introduced Jack slowly to the idea that maybe he could make Aaron’s life a little harder, just for payback. </p><p>It started with small things like Jack slipping papers in the trash, hiding credit cards from his wallet, and deleting things from Aaron’s tablet. It worked for a while and both Jack and Spencer found it funny, but eventually, Hotch caught on. When he did it only made things worse.</p><p>___</p><p>Jack was shoving papers into the kitchen trash when he felt a large hand wrap around his bicep and yanked him backward. Jack wasn’t nearly as tall as his father and had taken on his mother’s likeness in weight and body shape, so he wasn’t hard to throw around. </p><p>“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The tight hand on his arm was gone but it was now yanking the file from his hands. “Jack this is government property! Is this what has been happening to my things?” The teen shifted from one foot to the other, but he didn’t respond. <br/>Hotch ran a hand over his chin and sighed softly. “This is a felony..A Felony Jack!” The man raised his voice a little, waiving the folder and crumpled papers up in front of his son’s face. “I could arrest you and charge you with at least three things. Obstruction of justice, damage to federal property, contept of-” Jack interrupted him. “Then do it.”</p><p>Hotch looked a little stunned. “Excuse me?” Jack blinked, stepping forward. “Don’t be a coward.. Do it..arrest me.” His father didn’t say anything for a really long time. </p><p>A then he felt it. His cheek stung, face pushed sideways by a force he hadn’t felt before. Hotch had hit him, right across the face. “Don’t test me. Go to your room..” Jack was holding his cheek with his hand, tears welling up in his eyes as he turned to leave. “No. I want the phone, for a month.” Aaron held out his hand and the boy reluctantly placed his cellphone in it before running up the stairs to his room, slamming the door and locking it.</p><p>That was the last straw. He needed something more, something that was going to more than just piss his father off, and he knew exactly who to turn to.</p><p>Spencer. </p><p>___</p><p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">February 12th, 7:32 pm EST</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>{{..JHotchsk8.. Has joined the chat }}</em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..JHotchsk8..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>                     spencer are you there?</p><p>{{..DRSpencer.. Has joined the chat }}</p><p><strong><em>..DRSpencer..</em></strong><br/>  Jack? hey, what's wrong?</p><p> </p><p><em><strong>..JHotchsk8..</strong></em><br/>                      I want more.</p><p> </p><p>.<strong><em>.DRSpencer..</em></strong><br/> more what?</p><p> </p><p><strong><em>..JHotchsk8..</em></strong><br/>                      control. He hit me spence, broke my lip in the process. </p><p>___<br/> <br/>Spencer’s blood started to boil in a way he never imagined it would. Jack was lying, Hotch had barely stung his cheek, but Spencer didn't know that. He had become protective of Jack in a way that he had never been with anyone. In a way that Spencer had once, and lost. </p><p>___</p><p><strong><em>..DRSpencer..</em></strong><br/>                         Jack, are you sure this is what you want? </p><p> </p><p><strong><em>..JHotchsk8..</em></strong><br/><strong> </strong>   yes. it’s like he hates me.. i’ve done everything in the world to please him and he still treats me like shit! do you have any idea what it feels like to want to be loved by him and just end up as his biggest disappointment? </p><p>___</p><p>Spencer knew that the question was rhetorical but he sighed softly and quickly typed back.</p><p>-- </p><p><strong><em>..DRSpencer..</em></strong><br/>                       I do.</p><p><br/><strong><em>..JHotchsk8..</em></strong><br/>                       how?</p><p><strong><em>..DRSpencer..</em></strong><br/><strong> </strong> because I was his son once too. </p><p>
  <em>{{..DRSpencer.. Has left the chat }}</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. To learn a lesson</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>If Aaron Hotchner really cared about the people in his life, he would remember certain dates.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>It was easy to manipulate someone who was already predisposed to trusting you, and Spencer knew that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Spencer knew a lot of things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew a lot about what would make Jack tick, he knew how to gain his trust. He knew how to use that trust and spin it into a mutual disgust for something - <em>for somebody.</em> It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Jack Hotchner held resentment for his father, and boy oh boy, was Reid excited to use that to his advantage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>___</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">
      <span>Monday, March 14th 1:25pm EST</span>
    </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>{{..JHotchsk8.. Has joined the chat }}</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>{{..DRSpencer.. Has joined the chat }}</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..JHotchsk8..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                    what did you mean by ‘i was his son too’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>__</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Spencer typed for a really long time trying to think of a good enough lie to throw Jack off his rhythm, but nothing came to mind. He knew he just had to tell the kid the truth. It was going to come out one way or another.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>__</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..DRSpencer..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                     I looked up to your dad for a big portion of my life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..JHotchsk8..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                     Yeah, and I look up to Steve Jobs but I don’t act like he’s a father figure. I call bullshit, tell me the relationship you had with my dad or i’ll block you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <em>
    <strong>..DRSpencer..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                    Has anyone ever told you that you’re too smart for your own good?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..JHotchsk8..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                    I would assume that you’ve been told the same thing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..DRSpencer..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                    Touche. He took me under his wing when I was 18 years old, told me that I would be perfect for the BAU, but I wanted my third Phd, and he supported me in getting it. I took the job when I was 20. He treated me like a son and then one day he didn’t anymore. He stopped trusting me the first time I made a mistake, and then he fired me. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>__ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fired wasn’t exactly the right word for what had happened that day, but Jack didn’t need to know the whole truth. Not yet at least. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>__</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..JHotchsk8..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                 What about your own dad? Like your actual one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..DRSpencer..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                Context clues.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..JHotchsk8..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                  Dead?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..DRSpencer..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                   I wish.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..DRSpencer..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                   We’ll talk about this later. There’s a place downtown, the coffee shop. Let’s meet there yeah? I’ll look over your chem paper too. I can’t believe you mixed up Gallium and Germanium, you’re smarter than that, Jack.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..JHotchsk8..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                  Do you know who you sound like?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..DRSpencer..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                 If you say your father, I will block you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..JHotchsk8.. </strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                 :P</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..DRSpencer..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">
      <span> &lt;&lt; Attached a file - studycodechem102.jpg &gt;&gt;</span>
    </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                  Read this and study, and stay out of your dad’s way for now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        <em> {{..DRSpencer.. Has left the chat }}</em></span>
</p><p>___</p><p>
  <span>Jack hadn’t spoken to his dad in a week, which wasn’t very hard considering Aaron was on the other side of the country working a case about two dead call girls. That meant Jack was left to his own defenses, his aunt calling to check in on him once or twice, but that was it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This meant that he could go anywhere without question, and that included meeting Spencer at the local bookstore and coffee shop. The first time he met Spencer, he was terrified. The man had a long scraggly beard, untrimmed hair, and wore clothes that surely hadn’t been washed in months. Jack had almost left that day, but he stuck around, only because after the man cracked three jokes about his Starwars teeshirt, and after that, he was sure he wasn’t about to be abducted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something changed though. Just from the first time that Jack and Reid met, to the next. The young Hotchner almost didn’t notice the ‘new’ version of his favorite genius, the man had a haircut that looked straight out of a boyband. He was wearing a fluffy brown sweater and skinny jeans with converse. Reid had one glasses and even a bracelet and his nails were trimmed. He looked like a totally different person, and it was almost impressive if not completely terrifying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reid was holding a cup of coffee, and pacing back and forth in front of the Mystery aisle. “S-Spence?” Jack clutched his bookbag closer to his chest. The man’s head snapped up and he gave the teenager a warm smile. Without missing a beat the Doctor started on a rambling thought, “Did you know there are over 45,000 genre’s of books but 43% of all books that are bought in the United States are Mystery Novels, 46% are romance, and the other 11% are varied between historical fiction, sci-fi, and young adult dystopian novels..” Jack rose an eyebrow. “Did anyone ever tell you that your knowledge is scary?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Spencer laughed, picking up a book and slowly flipped through it. “Knowledge is scary..” He paused for a moment and put the book back in it’s proper place, “good people are often terrified of their own minds..” Jack froze in his tracks, looking at him. “I’ve never been scared of my own mind..” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He froze, did that mean he wasn’t a good person deep down?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doctor shrugged, “Not everyone is- I’d personally loved to be blissfully unaware of everything but I can’t. Sometimes I write full books before I go to bed, solve math problems in my sleep, and set up calculations between blinks. I promise that there’s nothing you should want less than what I have..” He turned to look down at the angsty teen. “Are you okay? You looked pale..”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack shifted uncomfortably chewing on the inside of his cheek. “My dad left this week for work and he never even said goodbye..” Spencer’s face changed at the mention of the olderr man. “He’s always mad at me..He acts like I’m the bad guy here! Maybe if he wasn’t such an asshole all of the time-” Jack looked at his feet because people were starting to stare at him. Reid put a hand on his shoulder, “Let’s take a walk?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The teenager sighed but let the other guide him out. “I don’t care that he left.. I wish he would just stay away..but he forgot..” His voice wavered and he had to suck in a breath between his teeth. “He forgot about mom..” Spencer felt a pang in his chest. He remembered clearly when Haley died. Jack was only little but it still felt like yesterday, he was surprised that it didn’t ruin Aaron’s life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, it did, but not in the way Spencer had quite imagined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aaron Hotchner had become a cold and distant father and coworker. Any personality he had, any joy, and humor at all was replaced with the shell of a detached and bitter middle-aged widower. Sometimes Spencer felt bad for him, even after he had left the BAU. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aaron Hotchner wasn’t the same person as when Spencer had started as a profiler, and that was part of the reason he let himself walkout. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Spencer sighed softly, pulling the kid into a half hug. “Do you think he forgot?” The smaller boy shook his head and used his dominant hand to rub at his eyes, “I just think he doesn’t care anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>____ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">
      <span>Saturday, March 19th 8:32 pm EST</span>
    </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>{{..JHotchsk8.. Has joined the chat }}</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>{{..DRSpencer.. Has joined the chat }}</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..DRSpencer..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                         Did you do what we talked about?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..JHotchsk8..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                         I found six rounds of ammo in my dad’s old bag, an old space heater in the garage, and a pack of old bottle rockets</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>..DRSpencer..</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>                       Hide them, somewhere a profiler couldn’t or wouldn’t think of. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..JHotchsk8..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                      Done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..DRSpencer..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                       Now go study for your science exam. I won’t help you if you can’t help yourself, Jack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..JHotchsk8..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                      Fine. Thanks, Spence. This might be what show’s him that I’m not a little kid anymore. He’d going to regret every lousy word he’s ever spat at me.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>..DRSpencer..</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <span>                      I’m proud of you, I want you to know that. You’re much braver than I ever was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>{{ ..JHotchsk8.. Has left the chat.}}</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Spencer leaned back in his chair and closed the lid to his laptop. He pushed the hair out of his eyes as a smirk grew on his lips as he crossed his legs, hands folding into his lap. <em>This was going to be fun. </em></span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay honestly I think this story is trash so far and this chapter is just a filler but I think the third chapter is going to be really interesting, just trust me on this :) Thanks for all the kudos!</p><p>Also TW- mentions of hurting someone/mentions of gun ammo</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>